Social Security History

This is an archival or historical document and may not reflect current policies or procedures.

SSA Commissioners

Arthur J. Altmeyer

Commissioner of Social Security: July 16, 1946 to April 10, 1953

Arthur J. Altmeyer
(1891 - 1972)

Arthur Altmeyer was born in De Pere, Wisconsin, attending the University of Wisconsin where he received his bachelor’s, master’s, doctor of philosophy and honorary doctor of laws degrees. He was a high school teacher and principal before serving as an economist and statistician in Wisconsin. In 1934, he was named Chairman of the Technical Board appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt’s Committee on Economic Security, which drafted the original Social Security legislation. Next, he became a member and then Chairman of the Social Security Board, a position he held until 1946 when he became the Social Security Administration’s first Commissioner. In 1953 Dr. Altmeyer retired from Federal service and returned to Wisconsin to lecture, write, and serve as advisor to various labor groups and pension organizations.

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